New Love, New Life
by Notwhatyouexpected13
Summary: Caleb breaks up with his first love and is devastated. He saves a mysterious girl from the sea and undiscovers her crucial secret that changes him for the worse. Will he ever return to normal?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This random little bit of story came prancing into view when I first saw The Covenant. Not the old one, the new one. I decided that Caleb had to break up with his girlfriend, because it's just not fair for all the other girls who are madly in love with him (me...AHEM...) to see him with another girl. Although...it kind of contradicts itself later on. But you'll see. Read and review please!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Covenant, or any of its characters. Although I wish to god I did. Drooling commenses. **

"Come on, Caleb, you're such a wimp," Tyler said, prodding him in the back. Caleb snarled and stepped forward. The edge of the cliff they were all standing on dropped mercilessly two hundred feet down to the crashing waves below.

Caleb peered down and shuddered. Despite having his powers, he was still wary of heights, and didn't approve highly of jumping off skyscraper sized cliffs to crash seconds later into the frothing sea below.

"You just gotta-" Tyler started again, reaching for Caleb's arm.

"Screw off! If you're so eager for someone to jump off a cliff, why don't you do it?" he snapped. Pogue stepped into view in the scant moonlight and addressed them.

"Guys, we don't have to do this. It's just a little fun, that's all. If Caleb wants to ditch us, that's his problem. We've-"

"I'm not ditching you! Is it illegal to take my time, now?" Caleb retorted, once again gazing down to the black sea. After breaking up with her, he had never been the same. He segregated himself from his friends and took to strolling aimlessly in the woods. He didn't return phone calls and hardly went out anymore. This was one of the rare occasions where he allowed Pogue and Reid to persuade him to come to the cliffs and do some cliff diving.

But as he stood there in nothing but his swimming shorts, he contemplated his situation and decided he didn't want to be there. What he really wanted was to go home, pour some shots and wallow in his misery for a few hours until the chiming of the clock put him to sleep.

"Come on, Caleb, just one jump? One? That's all we're asking," Tyler said, abandoning his rebukes for a moment.

Caleb ruffled his jet black hair unnecessarily and sighed deeply. One wouldn't hurt.

"Fine," he grumbled. Tyler and Reid shot each other high fives and whooped.

"I'm first!" Reid shouted, moving to the edge of the cliff and gently shoving Caleb aside. He spread his arms wide, displaying his hard muscles, rippling with strength, and threw his head back to the moon.

"Alright, hot stuff, enough with the show off," Pogue said, striding forward. With a huge grin, he gave Reid a tremendous shove that sent him reeling off the cliff.

"You bastard!" they heard him shout as he rapidly descended, his voice trailing away until it was lost in the wind. They all looked eagerly over the edge but their view was obstructed by a thick fog that was creeping in.

They finally heard the splash along with Reid's colorful language that expressed how cold the water was.

"You next, man," Tyler said to Pogue. He shrugged, already at the cliff, and leapt off with a grand sweep of his arms that suggested he was going for an Olympic medal.

"Who's the show off now," muttered Tyler. Caleb managed a smirk, something he hadn't been able to do since the breakup.

"Guess I'm next, right?" Tyler said after Pogue's splash met their ears.

"Guessed right," Caleb said, the despair slowly sinking in again. He hoped the rushing air and cold water would drive it away.

Tyler moved to the edge and jumped without hesitation. He whooped all the way down and Caleb actually laughed a bit when the splash came and Tyler came up, still laughing.

"Come on, Caleb, get down here!" Reid's voice floated up, muffled by the fog.

"Coming," he muttered. He went to the edge, letting the brisk air caress him as if welcoming him back from a long journey. He gazed out into the star-strewn night, amazed as always just by how many little lights there were. 'Beautiful,' he thought. Like her. Like she was. His eyes stung and he hastened to clear his head.

He looked down at the fog infested waters and shivered. The water would be very cold.

He assumed his diving position, one that he was so used to before he quit the team. He just couldn't bear to be around friends or his favorite sport without being reminded of her.

With a final sinking feeling in his stomach, he leapt off.

The air became more hostile as he descended. It whipped around him; his hair, his cold skin, threatening to carry him away. He reveled in it. It took his mind off her.

The rush was astounding. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he fell through the darkening fog, making him feel dizzy.

After what felt like several years he hit the water, its coldness washing over him like a blanket. It wrenched him from his misery and turned his veins to ice. Reid was right; it was excruciatingly cold.

His breath escaped him in a whoosh and he fought his way to the surface. When he broke it and looked around him through stinging eyes, he didn't see anyone.

"Guys?" he called. His voice seemed to hover over the water like the fog, which was quickly surrounding him.

"Over her, Caleb!" came the reply, somewhere to his left. He made his way towards it.

He darted through the cold water, his rippling muscles making short work of the icy waves. He suddenly felt his foot connect with something solid that wasn't rock. He manuevered around to face it.

What he saw made him jump.


	2. Chapter 2

A woman was floating there, face up, wearing only a tank top and swimming shorts. She was very pale; her skin had an almost bluish tinge to it and her eyes were closed, almost as if she were sleeping.

Her long black hair swirled about her head like thin snakes; an eerie contrast to her chalky complexion. She was very beautiful.

"Oh God," Caleb said, feeling the blood rush from his face as he gazed upon her limp form. He swam over to her and was, for a moment, unsure of what to do. Did she have a spinal injury? What if a limb was broken? He examined her without touching her and nothing looked irregular or out of sorts. He grasped her cold wrist and checked her pulse, feeling only a slight beat. He was relieved, however. At least she was alive.

He carefully wrapped an arm about her slim waist and pulled her closer to him. Her breasts pressed against his chest and for a moment, the startling memory of her (he refused to think of her name anymore,) appeared before his eyes. Pain wrenched at his heart and he managed to shove it aside.

He swam with startling agility through the icy water, all the while feeling her cold body against his own.

He was shivering by the time he fought his way through the fog and reached the shore. Tyler, Pogue and Reid were all standing there, waiting for him, all looking mildly annoyed.

"Where the hell have you been, Caleb? We were..." Tyler started, but then he noticed who Caleb was carrying and his sentence trailed off.

"I found her floating in the water. She doesn't look too good..." He hauled himself and his companion out of the icy blackness and was instantly surrounded by his friends.

"Is she breathing?" Pogue asked, pressing two fingers to her neck to feel a pulse.

"Yeah, she is, but barely," Caleb gasped, shivering uncontrollably.

"Here, I'll take her," Reid said, who was completely dry and fully clothed. Caleb reluctantly handed her over, almost regretting the separation of her body against his.

"Let's taker her to my place," he suggested. "she needs warmth and new clothes." They all agreed to this.

Twenty minutes later, they had reached Caleb's house and were sitting around an enormous fireplace. The woman Caleb had rescued was lying on a couch that they had moved closer to the fire, covered in a thick blanket.

Caleb, sitting at the foot of the couch, absently stroked her cheek.

"Guys, she's still in the wet swimsuit," he said. They all exchanged awkward glances.

"Is your house maid here, Caleb? She could help," Pogue suggested. Caleb shook his head.

"No. She's away on vacation for three days." They fell into an uncomfortable silence.

After a minute, Caleb addressed them. "Well, like it or not, she has to get out of her clothes. She's ice cold and her breathing's not any better. "

"I vote I do it!" Reid joked, standing up from his chair. Tyler reached up and smacked him upside the head.

"No time to be funny, asshole," he scolded. Reid, still grinning stupidly, sat back in his chair and didn't say anything else.

"I think Caleb should do it," Pogue said, glancing at him. "He's the one who saved her." Caleb looked puzzled, and ruffled his hair.

"What's that got to do with anything?" he asked. Pogue shrugged.

"I don't know. But it makes more sense than any of us doing it." Caleb considered this and nodded. The point was vague, but it worked.

"Right. I'll take her to my mother's room and see if there's anything that fits her." He gentle lifted her off the couch and carried her, honeymoon style, up the long staircase. When he was halfway to the top, he heard Reid let out a huge whoop. He smirked when he heard Tyler's hand make contact with the side of Reid's face.

Letting himself into his mother's room, he gently laid his cargo on the bed, where she murmured fitfully but didn't wake up. He admired her beauty for a moment. She really was extremely attractive. Elegantly sculpted eyebrows arched over perfect almond shaped eyes. Her full lips were set in an almost mocking pout, making Caleb wonder what it would feel like to kiss them.

Shaking his head, he struggled to erase the image from his mind and went to his mother's wardrobe. He pawed through layers of shining fabric, lace, and all assortments of various colored shawls and evening dresses until he found something suitable.

He pulled a black blouse from its hanger along with a matching pair of black evening pants,; the only pair he could find.

As he went over to the bed and set the clothes down, he figured it would be best to try and wake her up first. He did not relish the idea of her waking up to find him undressing her in an ill-lit room on a four poster bed. He shuddered at the thought.

He sat down beside her and gently slapped her cheek. No response. Her skin was icy and felt clammy. Her skin had still not abandoned its blue tinge and Caleb began wondering if she had caught hypothermia while she was in the water.

He had just started pinching her arms to see if he could get some sort of response when her eyes flew open. Startled, he jumped involuntarily. Her eyes were a brilliance pale blue and her face had lit up with emotion. Caleb couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw something in her eyes that made him wary.

"Hey," he said cautiously. She turned her head to look at him. He was startled to see a single tear roll down her cheek as her eyes devoured the features of his face. She reached up a pallid, long fingered hand and stroked his face. His skin tingled at her touch. Her eyes flicked over his form, (which was now fully clothed,) and she smiled. Caleb warily smiled back. Her gaze met his again and her smiling eyes suddenly looked upon him with a longing hunger.


	3. Chapter 3

"You alright?" he asked uneasily. Her eyes bore into his, making him wish to look away. There followed a second where Caleb saw something pass over her eyes. A shadow of..._evil..._but the thought flew from his mind as she blinked rapidly and shook her head.

"Where am I?" she asked, looking about her. Caleb was thoroughly confused. First she was looking at him as though she was seriously contemplating tearing his face off and now she was looking politely puzzled as though only mildly interested at what was happening.

"In Ipswich," he replied. "My place." Caleb paused, knowing that this really wasn't accurate information. "I'm Caleb Danvers," he explained. "I found you floating unconscious by the cliffs about five miles from here. My friends and I brought you back here and," he gestured around him awkwardly at the clothing, "I was just about to see if you would wake up so I could get you out of your clothes." She stared at him.

"Wet clothes!" he said hurriedly. She relaxed.

"So what happened?" he asked, speedily changing the subject. "Did your boat crash or something?" She shook her head, and seemed confused. She put a hand to her head and winced.

"I don't really remember anything..." she said softly, looking up at him. But her gaze was far away. "I remember...going to the beach alone. I had sat down to write in my journal-my journal!" she cried, sitting up immediately. "My journal is still back there. We need to go get it," She said urgently.

Caleb eased her back onto the bed to make sure she didn't overexert herself. "We can get it tomorrow," he said soothingly. "I'm sure it'll still be there. I don't think a book is going to get up and walk away."

"You never know..." she mumbled. She lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I don't want anyone taking it."

"No one ever really goes to that beach," Caleb said. "I bet you anything when we go get it tomorrow-" her eyes widened at the word. "yes, _tomorrow_, it'll still be there. I promise." He solemnly put his hand over his heart. She giggled. Caleb found he liked the sound immensely.

"Well if you're so sure, I guess tomorrow's fine," she said. He smiled.

"Okay. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to put on these," he gestured at the clothes, "I'd rather not have a dead girl who died from hypothermia on my mother's bed." She laughed at this, and Caleb found he had to laugh with her. It was catching.

He carefully eased her into a sitting position, his fingers tingling whenever they met her skin, and handed her the black blouse.

"I'm going to stay in the room in case you pass out again," he said. "but I'll turn my back to give you some privacy." She nodded. He got up, walked to the door and stood in front of it, his back to the bed. He heard her take off her wet garments and was vaguely disgusted with himself as he fought the urge to turn around. Why was he thinking like this!? He had JUST broken up with Sarah (he cringed inwardly as he thought her name,) and a complete stranger with amnesia seemed more alluring than her at the moment.

Well, he thought, that's not completely abnormal. He had been without her for almost three months. Maybe it was time to move on...

"Caleb?" she said the word gingerly, as if it felt strange on her tongue. He turned around.

The clothes fit almost perfectly. They hugged her slim form, accentuating her long legs and full breasts. Caleb was almost agape.

"Does it look bad?" she said softly, noticing his expression. She bit her lip fitfully.

"No," he managed. "It looks great." Her expression turned wary.

"I-I mean, for my mother's clothes," he said quickly. She smiled.

"Do you want to come down and meet my friends? They're great guys," he said, coming to her side and taking her hand gently. She intertwined her fingers with his and looked up to his face.

"Yes," she said delicately.


End file.
